Lengthy agenda awaits Illinois lawmakers

SPRINGFIELD — The primary election is over. The Easter/Passover/spring break is over.

Now it’s down to serious business.

Lawmakers return to Springfield on Tuesday to begin the push to their scheduled May 31 adjournment. There are no more extended breaks on the schedule. In fact, in several weeks from here out, legislators are scheduled to work five or more days.

Here’s where some of the major issues stand as the legislature heads into the final month of the spring session:

Tax extension

Gov. Pat Quinn wants lawmakers to make permanent the 67 percent income tax hike that was approved in 2011. Unless lawmakers take some action, a major part of the increase is set to expire Jan. 1, halfway through the next budget year.

Quinn essentially submitted two budgets to lawmakers in March. One, based on the tax hike being made permanent, spares spending from drastic cuts. The other, based on the tax expiring on schedule, contains cuts to nearly every aspect of state government. Quinn has repeatedly referred to the cuts to education that he said would be required under this scenario as “savage.”

Gambling expansion

Expanding gambling would generate more revenue both for the state and local governments, but both ideas being floated for expansion have their detractors.

One option would be a state-owned casino in Chicago only, with proceeds shared by both the city and state. Proponents believe it would be a success, tapping into tourist dollars in the city and enticing Illinois gamblers to stay in-state rather than drive to Indiana.

A Chicago-only casino, though, doesn’t help downstate communities that are seeking casinos, nor does it help horse racing tracks that say they need revenue from slot machines in order to survive.

The second option allows slots at tracks and authorizes five new casinos, including one in Chicago, Winnebago County, Lake County, southern Cook County and Danville.

Minimum wage

Quinn said he wants to see the state’s minimum wage increased to “at least” $10 an hour. It is currently $8.25 an hour, a full $1 above the federal minimum wage.

A Senate committee approved a bill gradually raising the wage to $10.65 an hour by the middle of 2016. However, it has not been called for a vote in the full Senate.

Capital plan

Quinn has asked each of the four legislative leaders to appoint two members to serve on a committee that would draft a plan for a new public works construction program and develop a way to pay for it.

The current public works program is running out of money, and Quinn wants something to replace it. The Transportation for Illinois Coalition has proposed a road construction initiative that relies on a 4-cents-a-gallon increase in the state’s gasoline tax and an end of diversions from the state road fund to pay for other services.

School funding

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said he will amend his school funding bill next week to address some concerns that have been raised about it so far. For example, some criticized the fact the funding reform plan will widen the gap in poverty assistance money that schools qualify to obtain.

Manar wants to restructure education funding so that most state assistance is distributed on the basis of need. Over the years, the funding mechanisms used by the state have been changed so that is no longer the case.